


Too young to die

by Dysia



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Crack, Death Threats, Injury, Love Confessions, M/M, Magic, Misunderstandings, Protective Derek Hale, Witches, but just a little bit, no one actually dies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-12 20:14:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29764995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dysia/pseuds/Dysia
Summary: What would you do, If you had only few mnutes left of your life?As expected, Stiles does something stupid.
Relationships: Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski
Comments: 1
Kudos: 98





	Too young to die

**Author's Note:**

> I really want to practice and improve my english, and writing fanfiction is going to be one of the ways for me to do so. That's why I would really apreaciate if you point out in the comments what kind of mistakes I make, what I should focus on and practice.  
> Hope you will enjoy it.

"Oh my God, be quiet! We are suppose to be unnoticed!" Derek exclaims angrily and starts to walk even faster. He's a werewolf, he can be really fast if he only wants to. It seems like he wants to be fast this time.

Stiles has to jog to actually catch up with him and he's already a little bit out of breath. Branches snap under his feet from time to time. It's not Stiles' fault, okay? It's impossible to bypass all of these. They are everywhere!

"I'm trying." Well he actually really is. "We are working in pairs, remember? Safety first. I've got your back, you've got mine. A chance of getting killed gets slimmer."

"My chance of getting killed increase a few times when I am with you." Derek mutters under his breath, but not quiet enough for Stiles to not to catch it. And he's not even supernatural, so it had to be intentional. Stiles is alright with it, he knows Derek doesn't really mean it, the years of knowing the older guy taught him a little bit about how he reacts to some thing. Like unusual magical situations. Exactly like this one that they are having right now.

Stiles sways a baseball bat in his hand back and forth, like he wants to bring Derek's attention to it. There were times when Stiles felt pretty safe with this piece of wood in his hands.

"Don't be an asshole, Derek. At least I've got this beauty here. With this in hand there is no one I can't defeat."

Well, to tell the truth he's got this exact baseball bat since middle school. That means it's a decade old. There's a pretty big possibility this thing is going to snap in half when it only comes in contact with something solid. It's still a better weapon than nothing. Maybe this will be enough of a distraction for Stiles to came up with a plan, or maybe even run away, if it's necessary. He's not the type of a person who flees when situation gets difficult, but he might if his life depends on it.

He doesn't say it out loud though. Derek doesn't have to know that eight years older Stiles is more likely even more helpless and weak than high school Stiles. It's just that he hasn't been doing that for years. After leaving Beacon Hills his life was pretty normal, excluding his still pretty much supernatural friends. Nothing unusual was happening in New York and when he was coming back home to visit his dad or to hang out with his pack from time to time, things were as normal as it could only be.

He's cursing himself now for deciding to come back to his hometown for good, cause he's been back for just two weeks and it looks like some shit is going down already. Maybe he's a catalyst that provokes these supernatural incidents? You never know, maybe he's not that ordinary after all.

"So, are you going to howl when we finally find what we are looking for?" Stiles asks casually, when the silence between them gets too uncomfortable for him to bare. "I don't think we've decided on some secret code or anything like that. We should have done that though."

Derek only gives him an annoyed glare as he turns around for a second.

"What? I care about such things. We might not have too much time to call when we finally find it. We should really choose some quick and effective way to inform others that we've done the job," or ask for help, but Stiles doesn't take that option into consideration. He's an optimist, okay?

"Do you actually think others are thinking about ways to contact with other pack members right now, even though everyone has a phone with them?"

"I can only hope so." They are all so out of the loop, because of how quiet things have been for the last five years. Back in high school these things would be instinctive. Now they really should have thought about a more specific plan beforehand. Phones are so easy to break. One second and you can't call for help. That's another good thing about working in pairs, they've got two phones.

"I might howl, if it's actually necessary." Derek agrees after a moment. Stiles could almost hear that eyeroll, he really didn't have to look at him to know that he's just done that.

The woods are getting thicker in that area. Stiles can't walk beside Derek anymore, and it has nothing to do with a fact that Derek walks pretty fast. It makes Stiles feel anxious, like anything could jump on them any second. The wide tree crowns in this part of the forest make it a little bit darker than just few feet back. Too less sunlight is getting through the leaves. It looks even more creepy than the woods in the middle of the night, and Stiles knows it for a fact, cause he was there at night too many times to count. He's sure he's never been in this part of the forest before. Maybe there's something in the air that makes all the hairs on the back of Stiles' head stand up?

Maybe that's because of the magical creature that clearly decided to visit Beacon Hills' forest the day before without contacting them first, and as Scott said, might decided to stay for a little bit longer.

"Do you hear anything? Or smell anything?" Stiles actually whispers this time. Well, he could just admit out loud that he's a little bit freaked out. He never whispers, so if he does it must be a clear sign that he's scared. There were times years ago, when things like that excited him more than terrified him.

Maybe Derek doesn't know him well enough anymore to know that.

"Well, the smell is so strong in the whole forest, sot it's impossible to detect where it actually comes from. It must be some kind of a spell to make it difficult to find them." Derek explains, also whispering. That's a lot like him, though, he's always careful.

"Do you think it may actually be a trap?"

"You never know what some supernatural creatures have in mind."

They stop talking altogether after that. Stiles doesn't feel like talking anymore. He feels anxious as they keep walking further into the forest, into the wood growing more and more densely. He focuses on listening to any suspicious sound that might indicate that the supernatural creature they all have been looking for is near. The only sound that reaches his ears are the rustle of leaves under their feet and snapping of twigs as they step on them. There is not a sound of another living soul nearby, no birds or squirrels. Just him, Derek and tension in the air.

Stiles doesn't need to have any extra senses to know, that they are getting close to that thing. There's been something in the air for a little bit now. The tense line of Derek's back only confirms that, he doesn't have to actually say anything.

Suddenly a big ball of light appears right in front of them, just a few steps ahead. It's like it materialized when Stiles was blinking. Its light is so bright that Stiles has a problem with opening his eyes without hurting them. It's unnaturally blue.

Both he and Derek stop walking immediately. Stiles' instinct kicks in and he grabs Derek's forearm with his free hand, like holding onto Derek could somehow protect him. Derek must be freaked out too, cause he doesn't push him away.

"What the hell is that?" Stiles hisses through his teeth, stepping so close to Derek, that his chest is pressed to Derek's back.

"We don't mean any harm." Derek says, instead of replying Stiles, his loud voice almost echoing in the quiet woods. "You are on our territory and haven't approached us first about it. I'm sure you know the rules. You want to cross lands of other supernatural creatures, you inform them about it beforehand. As you haven't done that before you crossed the boarder of our land yesterday's afternoon we have to confront you. If you don't mean any harm we will not hurt you either."

There is only silence. Everything is completely still and quiet. Only the ball of blue light seems to pulse in a steady, slow rhythm. It seems like it's watching them. It's creepy.

"Show yourself, so we can discuss things," Derek adds, as the silence is stretching for too long.

The sudden blow of wind breaks the complete stillness of that moment. Stiles shivers from the cool air, as it tousles his hair. It's getting more and more horrific with every passing second. It's getting darker around them, too dark for summer's afternoon. The blue ball of light stands out even more in the dark. There's no sounds, nothing. Just some unnatural silence that seems to be covering up every possible noise. It's something more than just a lack of sound.

Between another blink of Stiles' eyes a creature with a long, red cloak on appears in font of them, just few feet behind the ball of blue light. Stiles jumps up in surprise, his heart speeding up. He is too old for this.

It has a hood on, pulled down so their face is invisible under the shadow. It floats few feet above the ground, so she must be actually pretty small, at least a head behind Stiles or Derek. It looks human, so it's probably some kind of a witch. Witches can be tricky, you never know what they have in mind, and there is like a 90 percent chance that they are insane. Maybe it's magic that fucks up with their mind?

Well, if Stiles was in the mood, he would surely make some kind of a stupid joke. Cause he's got a werewolf and a person in a red cloak. It's like a story about the Red Riding Hood that his mum was reading him when he was little. Does it make him a grandma in this situation? He doesn't want to be a grandma.

"If you are wondering when is the right time to howl for help, it is now," Stiles hisses, his free hand that is not holding his precious baseball bat gripping onto Derek. His fingernails are digging into Derek's arm so hard, that to a mortal human would it leave marks for weeks. He should be taking out his phone out of his pocket right this moment, but he doesn't move to do so.

"Derek Hale himself," it speaks, the sound of it hollow and loud in the quiet forest. It seems to echo all around them, the sound still present in Stiles' ears even after a longer moment. It has a female, voice, but with magic it's very easy to change it. They can never be sure. "The pleasure is all mine."

"Unfortunately I can't say the same thing," Derek replies, his voice weirdly calm, considering what situation they are currently in.

"Oh, let's not be too dramatic. I've heard a lot about you, Derek. About you too, Stiles. You are quite a gem."

Stiles is currently freaking out that she knows his name. Of course he's not showing that, cause showing your weakness can only bring you trouble, but internally he's screaming. Well, she might know Derek, he's been a part of the supernatural world since he's been born, it's been his pack's lands for decades. But how come it knows Stiles' name? He's just a mere human. There is nothing really special about him.

"What are you doing on our territory?" Derek seems to move right to the core of their unfortunate meeting. That's good. The less time they have to spend in there, the better for Stiles' sainty.

"I'm just passing by."

"Let's not play dumb here. Tell me exactly why are you here."

She chuckles and the light seems to pulse faster. It has to be somehow connected to her.

"The Nemeton might be dead, but there is still a core of magic buried deep in this land. It may not attract many supernatural creatures anymore, but my kind finds it very helpful. It helps our power grow."

That doesn't sound good. It actually sounds pretty fucking bad. Some foreign, supernatural creature getting more magic from their lands? It can only bring them trouble.

"Why do you need more power exactly?" Derek keeps asking, instead of calling out for support of their other supernatural friends. If only Stiles could howl, he would do that in a heartbeat.

She laughs out loud this time, the sharp sound of it hurting Stiles' tympanums. If it's so uncomfortable for Stiles, he can only imagine how Derek feels with his sharpened senses.

"What do you think, Derek Hale? I'm going to absorb the energy of this land, little by little, to gradually take over the lands, first this town, this state, until I'm ruling the supernatural world of the United States. Maybe I will take over the whole supernatural world one day. The whole world on their knees in front of me. Doesn't that sound great? Not only supernatural beings but also normal, mortal people. I will rule this world. And I will kill every creature that won't join me, witches, werewolves, elves. It doesn't matter. You're either with me or against me."

Stiles feels sick suddenly, his stomach in knots, hands shaking. On one hand it sounds completely ridiculous, but on the other she seems totally serious. Stiles has been around supernatural beings long enough to know that some of them can be fucking insane and dangerous.

"Can you sense lying?" he whispers to Derek, his eyes never leaving the hooded being in front of them.

"The heartbeat is steady." Derek says and this time even he sounds distressed. If she's telling the truth, they are in a deep shit. They need to do something and they need to act fast.

The next second Derek is howling for help. The person in the hood only laughs again, like this situation is actually funny.

"Howl all you want Derek, no one is going to hear you." she says, laughter still clear in her voice. "There's a spell that separates this part of the forest from other creatures. No one is going to be able to hear or smell you. You are stuck with me now, all alone."

Well, it doesn't sound good. Stiles' heart has been beating like mad for the last few minutes. If it's going to stay like that for much longer, he's more likely going to have a cardiac attack. He's surely going to have a panic attack first though. It's just too much for him.

"If you think that we are just going to let you go, then you should reconsider," Stiles replies, his voice surprisingly steady considering how he actually feels.

"I guess that I will have to start from killing the two of you then. It's not like I wasn't planning on taking over Beacon Hills first."

Derek growls, pushing Stiles completely behind himself, like he wants to protect him over himself. Well, that's new.

"We won't go down without a fight." Derek replies, his voice harsh.

"Of course you won't. That's not what I was expecting of the two of you. That will only make it more fun though. Now I will give you a few more minutes to say goodbye to your life."

The hooded witch disappears as suddenly as she appeared few minutes ago, just when Derek launched in it's direction. His clawed hands ripped clear air instead of flesh and he barely holds himself upright. The ball of blue light disappears along with it's creator, leaving both of them in duskiness.

"What the fuck was that," Stiles exclaims, his voice high pitched from stress. He sounds like a little kid scared of a spider.

"I have no idea. That witch is clearly crazy though." Derek replies. He is still wolfed out, mouth full of sharp teeth that could rip a throat without a problem, nails pointy and sharp, face more hairy than normal and without eyebrows.

"We need to find rest of our pack to tell them what is going on," Stiles says and turns around to run the way they more likely came from just few minutes ago. "We need to come up with a plan to-"

Suddenly Stiles collides with something solid really hard and falls down. He groans as he lies on the ground, trying to catch a breath. Everything hurts, he can't even define what hurts him the most. He might be actually bleeding, his face is in a metaphorical fire. He might have broken his nose or loosen a teeth or two.

"Stiles, are you okay?" when he opens his eyes Derek is kneeling beside him, his face only centimeters from his own. His fave is back to normal, only his eyes are icy blue. It's a really beautiful face.

"I don't know. I just don't know what happened. I'm pretty sure I didn't stumble over anything." He is clumsy, so maybe it was actually his fault. But he's pretty sure it's not that case this time.

"Yeah, you didn't. It's some kind of spell that created an invisible wall around us."

To prove his words Derek moves his hand into the direction Stiles was running to and suddenly his hand just stopped moving, some weird light sparking around his palm.

"Do you want to tell me, that we might get killed in a few minutes by some crazy bitch that wants to take over the world and we can't even run away or inform our pack about it?" Stiles asks, panic in his guts flaring up again.

"It look like it," Derek unfortunately confirms. "Come on, I will help you stand up."

Derek is pretty careful as he puts one of his hands under Stiles' back and gently pulls him up. Stiles groans, there is a pretty big chance that his ribs might be cracked. His chest hurts like hell and he has a problem taking deeper breaths.

"Fuck, it really hurts." Stiles mutters as Derek finally helps him back up to his feet. "Am I bleeding?"

"I can't see or smell blood, so I'm pretty sure you're not."

Derek's hand moves up until it rests on the bare back of Stiles' neck and the younger man immediately feels relief as the pain fades away.

"You don't have to do that." he says, but he doesn't really mean that. The lack of pain feels really good. You never know how nice it is, until you are actually in pain.

"It's fine," Derek replies, but his voice sounds a little bit strained. When Stiles turns his head to look at him his face is completly blank, like most os the time.

Somehow a warmth of Derek's body right next to his also calms Stiles down. He is still a little bit freaked out, who wouldn't be knowing that they might die in the next few minutes, but he is not close to having a panic attack. That's good, because he has to think. And he has to think fast.

"Do you have a plan or something?" Stiles asks.

Derek makes a face and steps away, his palm once on the back of Stiles' neck dropping to his side. Stiles doesn't know if the pain was too much or was it caused by the threat of impending death.

"We should maybe try calling someone," Derek points out and why on earth haven't Stiles thought about that first?

He tries to pull his phone out of the pocket of his jeans so fast that he almost dropped it. He doesn't even know how he managed to catch it mid-air, but just a second later he is unlocking it. His hope is short-lived though as there is no signal.

"We are fucked." Stiles groans, showing Derek the screen of his phone. He frowns at it like he wants to maybe punch it. There were times when Stiles was really scared of that face. Not anymore though. Or that's what he tries to tell himself.

His mind races, trying to come up with some kind of plan that will make them escape from this hell box or at least get help. They need to act fast, cause it looks like they don't have too much time, if they were to believe that witch.

"Maybe we will find a hole in this wall." Stiles finally says and with his hand touching the invisible barrier he starts walking around the small area they are locked it. It takes him just a moment to get back to the place where he started. Unfortunately he didn't find anything weird in it, his hand never slipped past the barrier.

Derek is standing in the same place the whole time with a frown still on his face, looking somewhere far into the forest.

"Do you hear anything?" Stiles asks him. If he did, it can be their chance.

"I'm trying to catch something within this box but I think that as she said it's soundproof, probably also smellproof. They won't be able to find us."

Stiles' stomach drops at these words. Derek sounds pretty much serious. There were times when Stiles was a brain of this pack. Of course it was years ago now, but even though his mind is still brilliant he is out of the loop. He needs research. He's always been good with research. It helps determinate what they are dealing with and what they should do next. How is he suppose to know what they should do if they don't know what exactly they are fighting against.

"We are totally fucked, aren't we?"

"Well, it's not like I'm going to let them kill us. I'm going to fight and hope for the best."

"You don't stand a chance against a witch," Stiles points out.

"Thank you so much for believing in me," Derek replies, and despite the situation they are in he smiles lightly.

It's so rare to see Derek smile. And Stiles loves his smile. It makes his face look younger, his eyes seem to sparkle immediately like stars in the sky. Stiles would give a lot to make Derek smile more often, but years of trying his jokes on him proved that Derek is immune to those. He cherishes every smile that Derek Hale sends his way. It might be even better than Christmas.

"Did you see my baseball bat?" Stiles asks as he suddenly remembers about his own weapon. He tries to look for it in the darkness, but it's difficult with his normal vision. It must be somewhere around there, cause he had it with him as he hit that barrier.

"If you think I'm going to let you fight a witch with this thing, then you are insane."

"I'm not gonna let you fight alone. We are a team we should fight for each other."

What Stiles wanted to say next gets stuck in his throat as he finally finds pieces of wood on the ground. Sure, it wouldn't be much of a weapon against magic, but maybe it would make him feel a little bit less helpless. And it was actually a really good bat, serving him loyally for years.

"Well, at least one problem is settled." Derek says and Stiles only rolls his eyes. If he thinks Stiles is going to sit back and watch him fight, then he doesn't know Stiles Stilinski.

"Do you have a plan at least?"

“Let's not get killed.”

“That's a great plan. Do you mind filling me in one details?” Stiles replies with a laugh. Is that laugh caused by too much stress? Maybe so.

"There isn't enough time to come up with anything good. I will have to act according to situation."

Derek sits down on the ground cross-legged and after a moment of hesitation Stiles does the same. There is no use of tiring their legs and sitting down seems to be better for his hurting chest. They both should rest a little bit before the eternal rest awaiting them. Pun intended.

"Do you think we stand a chance in a fight?" The light is dim, so Stiles can't really see a look that Derek is giving him. He swears he can feel annoyance and disappointment in the air though.

"Well, I've never been an optimist."

"Maybe we should change that before it's too late. You still have got a chance."

Derek actually chuckles at that, it's been too long since Stiles heard him laugh. They hadn't been spending enough time together when they could. Stiles actually quite likes Derek's company, it might not be the same the other way around though.

"Fuck, I am way too young to die," Stiles exclaims suddenly. It's still hard to believe that in just few short minutes he might be dead. He's got plans for his future. There is still so many things he didn't get to try.

"Yeah, it's going to suck," Derek replies with a nod.

It's going to be their end, so Stiles might actually do things, that he would never think of doing in normal circumstances. Like asking some uncomfortable questions. As they say, you only live once.

"Are there things you regret in your life?"

Derek freezes completely for a moment, before he relaxes again. He keeps looking down, fingers running through the strands of grass.

"You know there are. I guess there is no one who doesn't have a thing in life that they regret. I have probably more things to regret than most. I regret being a stupid and naive teenager the most, what cost my family's life. I regret not saving Boyd and Erica. I regret not being a good alpha for Isaac. I regret so many things, If only I could turn back time and change these, I would do it in a heartbeat. But I can't. Do you know what I actually regret the most?"

Stiles shakes his head. He doesn't trust his voice in that moment, because he's getting emotional already. It doesn't matter, Derek can surely smell it, if he only wants to.

"I regret living in the past for the last fourteen years. I've been holding onto it, onto pain and regret, hurting for the people that lost their life because of me. That guilt was killing me from the inside for years and I did nothing to stop it. I knew that I deserve it." Stiles tries to interrupt Derek, tell him that he's wrong and it's not like that, but the older man only keeps talking louder. "I did so many stupid thing in my life that cost life of innocents. After that every time I was happy I also felt guilty about it. How can I be happy when I did so many bad things in my life? How can I laugh when my parents can't anymore because of me? How can I let myself love someone, if my sister never got to find her true love? Now I regret it, living in the past and not letting myself find happiness. I'm always gonna carry guilt inside me, but focusing my whole life around it is pointless. I can't change the past, so maybe I should have tried to live a little in the present. To find happiness. I know my family would want me to be happy. I just starred realizing that a few weeks ago and haven't really gotten to changing my life. Now I feel really bad about not being able to really live, and not just exist, as I did for years."

That was deep. Stiles didn't expect that. He was thinking of some stupid things, maybe not a very easy conversation, but definitely not something like that. That was sad and touching, but also a little bit hopeful. A chance of a life change. That unfortunately Derek might never get.

Stiles doesn't know what to say, how to react. He is still processing what Derek told him, when the other man speaks again.

"And you? What do you regret, Stiles?"

First thing that came to his mind is easy and obvious.

"Right now I regret I won't be able to say goodbye to my dad. I wish I could just hear his voice for the last time and tell him that I love him." His voice is surprisingly steady as he speaks.

"He knows you love him." Derek assures him.

Well, Stiles know that too, but it's still hard, as he didn't tell him that for a long time. You never think about things like these, that you might not come home from work, or that someone that means a lot to you might not fly back from their holidays in Argentina. Then suddenly they are gone and there is hundred things you didn't get to say to them.

"He's got only me, I'm worried about what's going to happen to him if I die. He might start drinking again and there's no one there that he would listen to. He doesn't care too much about anyone else."

Stiles tries not to dwell on these thoughts about his father for too long and continues.

"When it comes to other things, I regret being a coward the most. There are things I wish I did when I had the chance, when I still had time." He dares to take a look at Derek, but in the dim light he can't see his expression. He's got a feeling in his guts that he should say it, say what's been hidden deep inside his heart for years now.

What does he have to lose now? Exactly nothing.

"I regret that I've never got to tell people some things." His throat is dry suddenly and it's hard to find words for what he wants to say. "I know that it must sound ridiculous, because for years I was the one who was throwing himself into danger without hesitation, but deep down I am a coward."

Derek doesn't interrupt him. Maybe Stiles wishes he would.

Instead he keeps talking.

"I've never told Jackson that I don't really hate him. Or I've never told Scott that I was the one who had broken his new action figure in first grade." His hands get sweaty as he gets closer to what he actually wants to tell Derek. He knows it's his last chance though, so he won't back out. He can't back out.

He takes a deep breath and as he looks down at his lap to avoid Derek's gaze he finally says it.

"I've never told you that I think I might be in love with you."

The silence that follows Stiles' words is definitely awkward. Stiles doesn't lift his eyes from his lap, wishing he could just turn back time. Maybe it wasn't a right thing to say. Getting his heart broken minutes before his death is not the best way to go.

"Stiles," Derek's voice is low and hoarse as he finally speaks. How long were they sitting in silence? Minutes or maybe just some seconds?

"Just forget I said anything," Stiles replies. If he's not about to die in a few minutes he might actually die from embarrassment. Is that a thing? Well, it's going to be.

"No, look at me, Stiles. Please."

Stiles gathers his courage and lifts his head so he is looking right back at Derek.

His eyes are icy blue, but apart from that he looks normal, maybe just surprised. Well, he must be disgusted. Creeped out. Maybe even scared for his life.

"Stiles, I wa-" Derek's words get interrupted by a ball of blue light that materialized suddenly to Stiles' right and a short, sharp whistle.

"Wow, that was quite a show. I didn't expect that," The hooded witch appears just few meters from the two of them. Stiles scrambles to his feet in a speed of light and steps away as far as he can, until his back hits the invisible barrier. Derek is right in front of him in a second, like he wants to protect Stiles. He is ready to attack, his fingers and fangs already out and sharp.

"What are you planning, witch?" Derek growls through his teeth. On her place Stiles would be terrified. She's got one big advantage on her side though and it's called magic.

"Well, I think I should really explain some things now," she doesn't sound as threatening as she did only few minutes back. Right now her voice is more quiet and melodic. "First of all, I don't mean you any harm."

"You've just admitted a few minutes ago that you want to take over the world! You want to kill us! We must know a completely different definition of 'not mean any harm'," Stiles shouts at her. Too many emotions have been colliding in his mind for the last few minutes. He can't just take that much in a short amount of time. Everyone is bound to explode at some point.

"Okay, I know that's what I said, but I wasn't actually serious."

It just makes less and less sense with every passing second. Stiles' head hurts from all of this.

"What the fuck do you mean?"

"So first of all, I don't really want to hurt or kill anyone. I don't want to take over the world either. I'm just a humble witch that wants to live her life in peace."

"So why did you say that in the first place?"

"Well, I've been a little bit bored for a while now. Nothing interesting has been happening for weeks in my life. I just decided to use this as a possibility to try my powers and have some fun."

"You've been bored and decided that threatening us is a good idea?" Stiles can't believe her. It's one of the most ridiculous things he's ever heard.

"I could have hurt you." Derek points out.

"Well, I wouldn't worry about that," she says and actually chuckles. "I can't say I have the brightest ideas sometimes, but I'm not so irresponsible to get face to face with a very dangerous supernatural creature and threaten it. I'm not actually there with you, it's just my reflection that I've created. You can't hurt me, because I'm not really there."

"Are you kidding me." Stiles moans, that's just ridiculous.

"I'm actually serious this time. You can try and hit me with something."

Stiles pushes Derek away and he must have been surprised by it, because he stumbles to the side a little bit. Stiles uses that occasion to throw whatever he had in his pocket at her. It happened to be a mini flashlight, that flies right through her and shatters against a tree. Well, better that than his phone.

"Oh my God, you are actually serious!"

"Of course I am, can't you hear in my heartbeat that I'm not lying?" She exclaims.

"I can't hear a lie, but I didn't when you were talking about killing us earlier either. Let's not act surprised that I don't trust my guts anymore."

"Well, I guess my magic did pretty good. Practice makes perfect and I haven't had much chance yet to try myself out in action. I'm pretty proud of myself. I would never expect I could do things like that. Even the barrier hadn't cracked!"

"Well, your stupid barrier might have broken my ribs," Stiles winces as the pain shots through his middle when he moves. An effect of Derek's touch is long gone, now Stiles is bound to suffer again.

"I'm really sorry, I didn't mean that. If you want, I will heal it."

Derek growls at that and moves closer to Stiles, so his back is flush with Stiles' front and they younger boy is leaning completely against the barrier behind him. Stiles stops a moan of pain from escaping, but he still grimaces.

"I would rather not be your next experiment to check your magical abilities. It will heal on it's own at one point."

"I swear I'm really good at healing living creatures. I have a lot of experience working on animals, like birds, cats, rabbits or deers. I've never had much practice on humans, apart from myself, but it can't be that different, can it?"

"I'm not in-" Stiles starts, but gets interrupted by furiously sounding Derek.

"You won't lay one finger on him, if you want to get out of here alive." He says, and even though these words are not directed to him, Stiles feels a little bit scared himself. That witch really should fear for her life.

"Well, I don't want to kill your fun, but you can't hurt me if I'm not actually there with you. And you won't be able to find me, if I don't want you to. My masking charms are right on point." She sounds so casual as she says it, which means she is seriously not worried at all. And it looks like she's really proud of her magic. Well, it actually sounds quite sick. "Maybe I can't make my smell disappear, but I can make it overwhelming and strong that you can't find where it comes from. That's also something."

Derek doesn't seem happy with her answer, but changes the topic anyway. "Let's get back to business. First of all, if you are not here to hurt us, I want you to prove that by showing us your face. Take off your hood."

She doesn't seem hesitant as she lifts her hands to the fabric around her head. She pulls it off with a quick move of her hand and just a second later they are standing face to face with a red haired woman. They can't see her too clearly, because of the duskiness, but she seems pretty young, definitely not older than Stiles. Her face is slim and young, without a single wrinkle. Her red, curly hair matches her freckled cheeks and nose. She really reminds Stiles of one of the Disney princesses that he can't remember a name of. She was definitely a badass though.

"Is that your real face or some kind of a trick once again?" Derek sounds cold as he speaks. She really must have pissed him off.

"You might not believe it, but it actually is. I'm done playing tricks for today," she replies, running her fingers through her hair.

"Why are you here? What do you want from our pack and from us?"

"I don't want anything from you. You are the ones who went looking for me into the forest, like I am some pray that you can catch. I felt threatened."

"That's all because you crossed our lands and actually stopped here for hours without informing us about that first. Don't you know the rules?"

"Well, who writes such stupid rules?"

"It's tradition! It was created centuries ago to stop unnecessary battles between packs or other magical creatures. It's been working pretty well for years and years. Why stop using something when it works out?"

The witch huffs, clearly annoyed with the turn of events, crossing her arms at her chest. Stiles doesn't interrupt their conversation, between the two of them Derek knows much more about traditions.

"Now tell us why did you decide to come to our lands?"

"As I said before your land has a lot of power. Well, I wouldn't be able to absorb it, because it doesn't really work like that. We, witches I mean, can't absorb any kind of power to make ourselves stronger. Our power comes from within us, from our soul. We can train our magic to make ourselves stronger, but we can't absorb some power from the external world and use it. Okay, let's get back to the main topic, Nemeton might be dead now, but through the years that it's been thriving it was emitting tons and tons of power that soil in this area was absorbing. Because of that you've got a lot of herbs and magical plant in your forest that can't be found almost anywhere on the planet. It grows really fast and has strong properties. This place is literally a wonderland for witches and warlocks all over the world. I haven't heard of a better place when you can find so many ingredients for potions in one place."

"Why hundreds of witches aren't crossing our boarders to gather some plants if they are so special?" Stiles asks, because to him it doesn't make much sense.

"Why would I know that? Maybe they don't want to breach those unwritten, antic rules you've told me about. Or maybe they are so good with hiding their presence you never noticed them. Believe me, my abilities are not so great compared to the witches and warlocks I came across in the last few years. You can say I am still at the beginning of my adventure with magic."

Derek finally relaxes, at least just a little bit and takes one step to the front, so Stiles can finally push away from the hard barrier behind him and breath more freely. Taking a deep breath after long minutes of being squished would be a blessing, if his ribs didn't actually hurt like hell.

"I suggest you should take some lessons first about how to communicate with other supernatural beings to know what to do and what not to do. Haven't your superior or any other supernatural being that look after you taught you anything?"

The witch seems embarrassed at that. She was looking right back at them through the whole encounter, but now she is turning her head, clearly trying not to catch the gaze of the men. Her cheeks seem to get a little bit redder, but it's hard to say if it's actually true in a dim, blue light. Her posture clearly shows that she feels uncomfortable though. Stiles actually took some lessons at uni about body language and passed it with flying colors.

"Well, I guess you could say that." She replies after longer moment of silence, but doesn't seem to want to say anything more.

"Are you on your own?" Derek asks after a beat of another uncomfortable moment. It might actually make some sense.

She makes a face then, it looks like she didn't want them to know that about her. That actually explains some things.

"It's okay to admit that," Derek continues, as she doesn't seem to want to talk. "I was on my own for some time too. Now I've got a pack, some real friends and a pretty good life. I'm sure you will find your supernatural family soon."

Her hands shake this time as she runs her fingers through her curly hair.

"It's just-" she seems to be beating herself, not sure if she should talk to them about it. "It was just me and my mum for years. She was a witch too. She was the one who was teaching me about magic, spells and potions. We only had each other. Then she died four years ago and I'm completely alone."

"I'm sorry." Stiles says just as Derek replies "Sorry for your lose."

Both of them how it is to lose someone so dear to your heart. Derek knows it even better, because he had lost so many people in his life and at one point was actually left all alone. If someone can understand how it is, that's Derek. So Stiles let him continue this conversation.

"What's your name?" He asks her and she answers after another moment of hesitation.

"Norah."

It kind of suits her.

"Norah, if you need any help, you can always come to us and ask for it. We may not have any witches in our pack but we will try to help if we only can. We have books we can lend you about magic, we can teach you about other supernatural creatures and traditions you should know about. It's always good to have friends in a supernatural world."

Norah starts crying then, moved by Derek's nice words. Stiles eyes also got a little bit wet in the corners. He knew that Derek is actually a good human being, but it hits different when you have a prove of it right in front of your eyes.

"I don't how I would be able to thank you for doing something like that for me. That's too much. I don't have anything to offer in exchange."

"First of all, you don't have to offer us anything. Helping others shouldn't be done because of some possible benefits. Second of all, you don't have to thank us. Supernaturals should help each other."

"You can ask anything of me."she insists, determined expression on her face.

"First of all you should let us out of this invisible box, it's really getting a little bit claustrophobic in here." Derek points out.

"Of course, I kind of forgot about it." she says with a little giggle, tears still streaming down her young face.

Stiles leaned back against the invisible barrier at one point of the words exchange, because he was feeling a little bit tired, so when it suddenly disappears he falls back like a sack of potatoes. He's sure he's going to hit the ground pretty hard for the second time this day, when fingers wrap around his forearm and pull him up. His ribs hurt a little bit with a quick motion, but it's surely still better than lying flat on the ground.

Suddenly Stiles it standing face to face with Derek, looking right back into his hazel eyes.

That's when things he said to Derek a few minutes ago hit him like stack of stones. He had more important things in mind before, like their possible death, but now when they are actually safe, it hits him. He finally realizes what he admitted to Derek. He actually told him that he loves him. It was kind of fine when they were both about to die, but now it's just too much. How can he look at Derek with shame like a constant presence in the bottom of his stomach? Derek must be disgusted and things between them are never going to be the same.

"I-I need to go," he stutters out and yanks his hand out of Derek's grip.

Second later he is already running, God knows where, barely missing sticking out branches and small bushes that might trip him and cause him to fall once again. He hears Derek call his name a few times, but he doesn't stop or turn around. He just keeps going, slipping on the leaves under his feet, his ribs hurting like hell from too much effort.

He has to stop at one point, faster than he normally would, because of the condition he's currently in, and leans back against one of the biggest trees in the area. The sun is streaming in through the branches here, trees don't grow too close to each other. A frightening atmosphere from few minutes ago is long gone and replaced with a warm, quiet afternoon in a calm forest.

Stiles is out of breath and has a hard time drawing the air in, because of the pain he is feeling. Well, running was not the best idea, but still he didn't have a choice. Better a little bit of pain than hearing Derek's rejection. It's going to happen at one point, sooner than later, but he really doesn't feel like doing it right now. He just needs to get ready for it, so he won't cry in front of him. It would be too embarrassing even for Stiles. And then there is also Norah. They shouldn't have this kind of conversation when she's standing right next to them. That's too pathetic even for Stiles.

Sudden movement to his right makes Stiles jump. Unfortunately for him it's Derek. He would rather be met with a bear or a coyote. Anything else would be better than Derek Hale right now, even possibility of death.

"What were you thinking?" Derek says, but surprisingly he doesn't seem mad. He looks rather concerned as he steps closer to Stiles.

Maybe Stiles should step back, but he really doesn't have any energy left to do so. It's good that he's leaning against a tree, or he would surely end up on the ground otherwise.

"As I said, I need to be left alone. Didn't you hear me?" Stiles replies, but even his voice is weak.

"I did and decided that it's not a good idea. You are hurt," With that he wraps his fingers around one of Stiles' bare forearms. He starts pulling pain immediately and Stiles sinks against the tree with relief. "You must go to the hospital."

"It won't be necessary. I'm pretty sure my ribs are only bruised." he replies, looking anywhere but at Derek. There is a pretty weird mushroom at the bottom of the tree in front of him. And there is a brown snail almost on it, surely there to eat it. Is the snail going to live if the mushroom is poisonous? Not every mushroom that is deadly to humans are dangerous to other living beings. That's kind of insane, isn't it?

"Well, I'm not so sure about that. You are going to see a doctor and I won't take no as an answer." Derek protests, his fingers tightening on Stiles' skin. "You could only make things worse with running. You should have been more careful. What were you thinking?"

"I told you I need to be left alone right now." Stiles repeats that again. Well, is Derek actually slow or something? He's said that three times already.

"Why?"

Isn't that a stupid question? Only Derek can ask a question like that like it's a normal thing to do. Other people would leave it as it is and wouldn't even poke it with a three meters long stick. That would better for everyone involved.

Stiles doesn't say anything and stubbornly looks at the snail, which is already on the mushroom, probably chewing off the side of it that Stiles' can't see. It's going to be an interesting experiment, watching if it's going to be alright or die. Maybe he should take some notes. Photos for a proof.

Suddenly Derek moves, so he's blocking that snail from Stiles sight. Stiles is planning to ignore Derek all the same, he might look at Derek's shin instead. It's still much better than looking at his face

He does it though, when Derek's warm fingers are suddenly touching his cheek. He looks into the older man's eyes, which are full of concern. These are really beautiful eyes. Well, Derek is actually a very handsome man, there is no use of denying, but his eyes are just truly gorgeous. It's definitely Stiles' favorite feature.

His eyes dart down for a second, so he is looking right at Derek's lips. And fuck, he would give up his whole comics collection to kiss these lips once in his lifetime. And it's a very good collection, keep that in mind.

He averts his eyes quickly, back to Derek's eyes, but not fast enough for Derek to not notice that.

"What's wrong, Stiles?"

Why is he even asking? Isn't that obvious? Does he want to embarrass Stiles beyond believe to teach him some stupid, but in his opinion important lesson?

Stiles should really push him away, but his pain is almost gone by now, which feels like a blessing. Derek's fingers on the skin of Stiles' cheek feel very nice too. Stiles tries to enjoy these little things while he can.

"You know what's wrong." Stiles finally speaks up, when silence between them gets too uncomfortable and Derek is looking intensively back at him.

"Tell me."

"Can we just forget that I said anything?" he pleads this time, because he is really getting tired.

"Said what? You always talk a lot and said millions of stupid things in your lifetime."

Is Derek already playing the dumb one, cause he also decided that they should forget anything had happened, or is he doing that to embarrass Stiles' more? That's a question Stiles' mind can't find an answer to right now. He knows Derek is not that kind of a person, but he's not sure what he is going to do in a situation like that. He may act out of his element.

"God, I hate you so much," Stiles says and Derek smirks, his hand moving from Stiles' cheek to the back of his neck. He tugs lightly on the short hairs there and Stiles' knees get week. It would be so easy for him to pull Stiles for a kiss, if he only wanted to.

"No, you don't," Derek replies with a smirk.

God, Stiles wants to die. He wants the ground beneath him to open up and swallow him, to save him from this situation. Now Derek is going to make fun of him and his stupid feelings. It's not like Stiles didn't know beforehand that he didn't stand a chance with someone like Derek.

"Jesus, you don't get anything," Derek finally snaps and Stiles doesn't know what he was expecting, but definitely not that.

Derek pulls him in by the back of his head and suddenly his lips are on Stiles'. They are a little bit chapped and dry, but never in his life Stiles had a better kiss. He tangles his fingers in Derek's hair more on instinct than anything else, cause he is definitely not thinking right now. The only thing in his mind in that moment is Derek.

He kisses him back, sucking Derek's bottom lip between his own. Derek's beard scratches against Stiles' soft chin, as he titles his head more to the side to get a better angle. Stiles shivers, barely containing a moan that wants to escape his throat. Derek only pulls him in closer, his teeth nipping at Stiles' bottom lip gently with his teeth. He actually whimpers this time, kissing back harder, trying to get even closer to Derek. But as he presses right back against Derek's chest he moans out of pain.

Derek pulls away immediately, his veins turning black again as he draws Stiles' pain.

"Stupid ribs," he hisses through his teeth. How could his own body betray him like that and act up when he is in the middle of kissing Derek Hale? That's just cruel.

"You need to see a doctor," Derek says once again. Stiles knows he is probably right, but still doesn't like it. Mostly, he hates that medical bill he's going to get.

"And what will I get in exchange?" he asks, looking at Derek through his lashes, still trying not to get his hopes up too much. It could just be a pity kiss for all he knows.

"How about a date?" Derek says, with a small smile, looking right back into Stiles' eyes.

"Will I get another kiss at the end of it?"

"I was thinking about at least five more by the end of a tonight."

This time Stiles' feels like crying, but from happiness. His face starts to hurt from how hard he is smiling. It's a good kind of pain.

"I can't believe you let me think that you don't feel anything towards me. I was dying from embarrassment right there." He exclaims, punching Derek's arm very lightly, just to prove a point that he is a little bit mad at him.

"It's not my fault! I wanted to tell you that I have feelings towards you too, but I didn't have a chance. Norah came back just a moment too early."

"Don't blame it on a which."

"Well it's actually all her fault. But I think we should rather thank her. You would probably never tell me that you have feelings for me otherwise."

"You could have said something, too!"

“Are you good to go now? We should really get going, cause it's going to start getting dark soon.”

“Yeah, I think I will manage.” Stiles replies as he takes few small steps to see how he feels. The pain is a constant throb, but it's just a little bit unplesent right now. If not for Derek, he would be fucked.

“I can carry you, if it's too much to walk.”

“That sounds promising,” Stiles laughs at that. “but let's leave your display of strength for another time.”

Derek pulls him gently by a hand, so they start walking in some direction that he's chosen. It's good that Derek is a werewolf and his senses are sharpened, because Stiles would probably wander around these woods for hours by himself, completely lost.

To Stiles' joy Derek doesn't pull his hand away, but only tangles their fingers together as they walk around the trees together.

"Between the two of us, you are much better with words. Actually, you talk more in a week than I do in a year." Derek points out, coming back to their previous topic. He squeezes Stiles' fingers a little tighter. It's a nice feeling, it seems like their hands are made for each other, because they fit perfectly together.

"Talking about some stupid, unimportant things are different than talking about feelings. Especially when you think that you are going to get rejected," Stiles protests.

"How could I reject you? Have you looked in the mirror lately?"

Stiles feels that he is blushing, so he looks down to avoid Derek's eyes. It won't hide his red cheeks, but maybe it would help Stiles' heart calm down a notch.

"And have you? You look like a Greek God.”

“I was always thinking that I'm more like a superhero, but Greek God will do too. ” Derek says with a real smile, that actually reaches his eyes.

It's a little bit weird how Derek is relaxed all of a sudden, joking and laughing with him. Stiles might get used to it pretty fast. He likes that side of the older man.

“Well, I've got a pretty serious question right now.”

Derek raises his brows at him, like he wants to tell him 'go on' with only that. So Stiles does it.

“Did you like me for all these years that we've known each other?"

"No, more like for the last four," Derek admits. "It just kind of hit me when you came back home for the summer after your first year at Uni. You looked good, you were funny and intelligent. That's when it actually hit me that I might like him a little bit more than a friend. And for the last two weeks, since you've been back for good, I was trying to convince myself that I actually deserve happiness and should try to ask you out. I'm pretty stubborn, so it was moving along pretty slowly."

"Four years wasted," Stiles mutters under his breath and that actually makes Derek laugh, a real, warm laugh that makes his shoulders shake.

Derek doesn't ask the same question back. He must smelled from the start years back that Stiles is at least attracted to him. But he doesn't know when Stiles actually fell for him. It's pretty hilarious, but there will be another time to talk about this story. Preferably lying on the couch, wrapped in each other's arm, under a thick blanket and with mugs of steaming hit chocolate on the coffe table.

"Well, hopefully there are many more years ahead of us."

Oh, there must be. Or Stiles is going to throw a tantrum.

"By the way, I invited Norah for dinner tomorrow. Are you okay with that?"

"Sure, we need to talk more with her. There are still so many unexplained things,” mention of the witch actually reminds Stiles of another important thing. “And we need to actually call Scott right now to brief him in on this whole situation."

"Maybe I should howl instead?" Derek throws in, which makes Stiles laugh as he takes out his phone out of his pocket with a free hand.

"We should really buy some walkie-talkies."

"How is that better than a normal phone?"

"Shut up."

Derek turns towards him with a smirk. "You will have to make me."

Well, Stiles would be happy to do that.

“Oh, and just so you know, I might be in love with you too.”

Stiles almost drops his phone.

**Author's Note:**

> Well, I have no idea how this fic ended up so long. It was suppose to be atound 3-4k, but now it's 10k. I really hope you liked it.


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